Turning your Cluttered Closets into Cash

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Whether you love to shop, or hateto shop, shopping takes time. All that running around from store to shop, shoppe to boutique; all that searching for the right size or color or brand; all that decision-making as far as price goes; all that searching for some help from a salesperson!

And if the “IN” color or style is just, well, not you… shopping will take even longer, costing you the only commodity you can’t buy. Time.

Well guess what the solution is.

Resale shopping. You can find a wide selection of every choice under one roof: style, color, quality, brand. Not sure if you want a post-modern lamp for that corner, or maybe something industrial-looking or even boho? Head for the resale shop.

Need some tops in your wardrobe, but aren’t sure what you really like? Resale offers the widest selection of fit, fabric, fabrication in your size, on one (or a dozen!) racks for your (quick!) browsing pleasure. And a resale shop will have a genuine staffer who’ll reserve a dressing room for you, find you some selections you may not have considered, and tell you honestly whether that top does wonders for you or not.

When you shop resale, you also save the time you’d spend shopping online. The time you spend clicking from company to company, the time figuring out whether their medium is the same medium your body is or their teal is the teal you have in mind…. the time you spend comparison-shopping to be sure you’re not overpaying… the time you spend packing your purchase back up and taking it to the post office because the armholes are too small or their teal is your ghastly-green.

Think of all the time you’ll gain… free time to do other things… and for free!

Can you tell I suggest you shop resale? Can I suggest a shop or two for you? And BTW, since you now have all that extra free time… will you share this post?

Have yourself a Merry Thrifty ChristmasGive from the heart, not from your credit card with unique gifts from resale shops and thrift stores

No matter which holiday you’ll be celebrating, there’s so many ways your day can be filled with love, happiness, and generosity without killing your budget.

It’s easy when you keep in mind why you give presents: to acknowledge your recipients’ place in your life, to honor their uniqueness and to show that you truly know and care about their interests and happiness. So why give a polo shirt just like the other 20,000 ones in every mall in the country?

Your local resale shop carries both new and nostalgic gift possibilities at this time of year, and visiting these shops can open your eyes to suggestions as unique as your gift recipients. If you haven’t explored this way to seek out that perfect something for that Perfect Someone, you might be missing the most unique presents you’ve ever tucked into a bit of bright tissue paper!

Oh, sure, consignment, resale, and thrift shops will have the things you expect to see, such as warm sweaters and mufflers and mittens. Or collectibles like that Howdy Doody lunchbox your husband will cry over and the last Hummel Aunt Maude needs to round out her set. Or specialty items like just the right ski poles for Denis or a bed jacket for Grandmother Smythe.

But if you haven’t checked lately, you’re in for pleasant surprises. Many a shopkeeper has gone out of her way to find you unique regional crafts, unusual fashion accessories, and neat little inventions for your child, your home, or yourself. There are treasures to be found as well: a Hermes scarf received last year by someone who didn’t adore it that’s crying out to be re-gifted, a never-carried designer handbag, the toy that someone else’s child spurned, the one your child yearns for.

Entertaining gear is affordable at resale prices. The punch bowl you have no need for the rest of the year? Worth buying at secondhand prices. A tablecloth 188″ long? Extra wine glasses so you don’t have to go the disposable route? Check out the values at resale stores. You’ll probably save enough to buy that spectacular sequined gown that would be perfect for New Year’s Eve!

And best of all, your best present to yourself is free: that wonderful feeling when, come January, you’re not staring an outrageous credit card bill in the face. Shopping resale means not only one-of-a-kind gifts for one-of-a-kind loved ones, it means you’re being kind to the family budget at the same time.

So pop your head in, wish your local resaler a happy holiday, and see what’s in store that would look good under your Christmas tree or on your holiday table. While you’re there, ask about gift certificates: the one gift that shopkeepers love having the recipient return!

If life gives you lemons, sell them and get yourself some shoes. Or a new-to-you sofa. Or that designer stroller. It’s kinda like swapping. Someone else wants your lemons, you want their lemons, which to you are sweet as lemon bars. (Grab this recipe. It’s so good, my mouth is watering as I write.)